Film News South Africa

#OnTheBigScreen: Zulu Culture, Battle Of The Sexes and Bolshoi Ballet

There are two local releases this week: She is King is a joyous celebration of Zulu culture, and a group of teenagers are trapped at the bottom of a ravine in the horror The Accident. In this week's other releases: the rivalry between Billie Jean King and ex-men's-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs kicks into high gear in The Battle Of The Sexes, best friends deal with more stress in the wacky comedy A Bad Mom's Christmas, Paddington unmasks a thief in Paddington 2, the world's best car thieves take action in Overdrive, and ballet fans can indulge in the Bolshoi Ballet's magical Le Corsaire (The Pirate).

She is King

She is King is a joyous celebration of Zulu culture in a glossy contemporary setting, showing off the City of Gold as the Broadway of Africa. Think Smash meets Lion King in Joburg.

Directed by Gersh Kgamedi. Screenplay by Nicola Rauch and Gersh Kgamedi.

The Accident

Jess and Caroline are ready to party it up in Northern Cali but miss their bus to the rave of the year. They join Thomas, young, dark and charming, and his handsome buddy Fred, for a ride. During a tussle, the car loses control and rolls down a steep slope.

The two girls try everything they can to save themselves and get out of the car – but nothing works. Written and directed by Dan Tondowski.

The Battle Of The Sexes

In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s world champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men's champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the Battle Of The Sexes and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time.

Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms and boardrooms that continue to reverberate today.

It is directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) from a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire).

A Bad Mom’s Christmas

Best friends Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) deal with more stress during the holidays when their respective mothers come to visit.

A Bad Mom’s Christmas reunites the dynamic team of Bad Moms writers/directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and producer Suzanne Todd.

Paddington 2

Following the worldwide hit Paddington, the most successful non-US studio family film of all time, the much-anticipated sequel finds Paddington happily settled with the Brown family in London, where he has become a popular member of the local community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes.

Paddington’s return to the big screen is helmed by BAFTA nominated director Paul King from a screenplay by King and Simon Farnaby.

With Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson joining the all-star returning cast of Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin, Ben Whishaw as the beloved voice of Paddington and Imelda Staunton as Aunt Lucy.

Overdrive

Andrew and Garrett Foster are not only exceptional drivers but also known for being the best car thieves in the world. In Marseille, they steal the local mafia boss Jacomo Morier’s jewel, a rare and priceless Bugatti 1937. Morier decides to use their talents in his profit and against his long-time enemy, Max Klemp. But if they accept to enter this game, they actually have devised a much more daring plan…

Directed by Antonio Negret, the screenplay was written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. The film stars Scott Eastwood, Freddie Thorp, Ana de Armas, and Gaia Weiss.

Le Corsaire (The Pirate)

This is a ballet in three acts, with a libretto based on the poem The Corsair by Lord Byron. Amidst a bustling market, the pirate Conrad falls in love at first sight with the beautiful Medora, the ward of the slave merchant Lankedem’s bazaar. Conrad kidnaps Medora when Lanquedem decides to sell her to the Pasha.

Catch this graceful production on 2 December 2017 at your nearest Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau Theatre.

For more on the latest releases, visit www.writingstudio.co.za

About Daniel Dercksen

Daniel Dercksen has been a contributor for Lifestyle since 2012. As the driving force behind the successful independent training initiative The Writing Studio and a published film and theatre journalist of 40 years, teaching workshops in creative writing, playwriting and screenwriting throughout South Africa and internationally the past 22 years. Visit www.writingstudio.co.za
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